Chapter 78 - 77: Blathering
Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Blathering
"Huang Ziyu, think this through. If you lose this battle, you won’t get another chance."
The official in charge of the examination frowned, feeling annoyed.
He had already received a hint from the County Magistrate to favor Fang Yue during the assessment.
He couldn’t stop Huang Ziyu from issuing the challenge, but he could stall for a bit.
On top of the regulation quarter-hour rest period, he would drag things out a little longer for Fang Yue, letting him recover more.
"I’m sure. Please register it, Examiner Shen."
"Mm, you’ll have to wait a moment."
Seeing he couldn’t be dissuaded, Examiner Shen immediately began the registration process.
He ’used’ a full quarter-hour, and just as Huang Ziyu was about to lose his patience, the examiner finally finished the registration.
"Alright, the duel can begin. Remember, when you engage, you must abide by..."
The examiner went on and on, listing all the rules. It was all above board, but he hadn’t been nearly this ’long-winded’ in the previous matches.
But no matter how much the examiner tried to delay, the time quickly passed.
The battle between Fang Yue and Huang Ziyu began.
"Interesting. I didn’t expect this kind of drama during the imperial examination. This Huang Ziyu sure is petty, getting tangled up with some ordinary junior disciple from the White Tiger Boxing Hall. He’s really embarrassing the rest of us."
Among the top ten Martial Artists, a young man whose eyebrows nearly formed a single line watched Fang Yue and Huang Ziyu on the stage with a smirk. His eyes, especially when they fell on Huang Ziyu, were filled with contempt.
His name was Wei He, the eldest young master of the Wei Family, the foremost of the four great families in Xiahe County.
He was currently ranked third, but almost no one dared to challenge him. Besides his illustrious family background, the person who had challenged him earlier had his arms and legs broken, completely crippled.
A ruthless man like him always dealt heavy blows.
As a result, very few people dared to challenge him after that.
At this moment, Wei He was paying attention to Fang Yue and Huang Ziyu.
On one hand, it was because Huang Ziyu was challenging down the ranks, which was a great loss of face for the four great families. On the other, he could also see that the examiner seemed to be intentionally favoring Fang Yue.
An ordinary disciple from the White Tiger Boxing Hall shouldn’t be receiving such treatment.
’Could it be that there’s something else important about this Fang Yue?’
’Considering Huang Ziyu’s abnormal behavior, could this Fang Yue be related to the new tea?’
’If that’s really the case, then this is getting interesting.’
The corners of Wei He’s mouth lifted as thoughts spun in his mind. He himself probably didn’t realize that his guess was incredibly close to the truth.
Even the two combatants on the stage were unaware of this connection.
’Forget it. Two low-ranked weaklings aren’t worth my time. Business, new tea... don’t they know that for Martial Artists like us, one’s Martial Arts Realm is what’s most important?’
Wei He shook his head and went back to closing his eyes and resting.
’Might as well use this time to sense my Qi and blood, and temper my Martial Dao.’
~~~~~
"HAAH! DIE!"
The moment the match started, Huang Ziyu attacked without a word.
Huang Ziyu wielded a pair of iron hammers. Although they were just Standard Weapons provided by the Government Office, as hammers, they still weighed a full five hundred and fifty pounds.
The Martial Scripture states: "Better to take ten slashes than a single hammer blow."
This meant that while hammers looked cumbersome, their destructive power far exceeded that of swords and sabers.
Moreover, those who used hammers were always people of astonishing strength and superior Martial Arts.
And so, Huang Ziyu’s massive hammer came smashing down.
It tore through the air, letting out a whistling hum.
A simple, unadorned strike, yet it was far more domineering and ferocious than the attacks of the previous challengers!
Fang Yue’s gaze grew solemn, but instead of retreating, he advanced.
Relying on his superior speed, he arrived in front of Huang Ziyu in an instant.
Like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, his attack was an utter mess of ferocity and violence.
It was clear he was willing to take a hammer blow just to land a strike on Huang Ziyu.
"Hmph. Courting death."
Huang Ziyu was slightly startled, but the sneer on his face deepened.
’Does he really think my Hammer Technique is so clumsy that it can be countered by an agile Cultivation Technique?’
The next moment, Huang Ziyu forcefully changed his move.
The iron hammer swung down, stirring up a bitter gale.
He, too, intended to endure Fang Yue’s attack head-on in order to deal a devastating blow in return.
Mutual destruction!
No, it couldn’t be called mutual destruction.
How could a fist hitting the body be the same as being smashed by an iron hammer?
The next instant.
A miserable scream rang out.
Then, Huang Ziyu’s entire body was sent flying, soaring more than a hundred feet before coming to a stop.
On the stage, only Fang Yue remained, still in his punching stance.
The spectators were all stunned. ’What just happened?’
’How was it Huang Ziyu who was sent flying?’
’Why does this Fang Yue look completely uninjured?’
’How could this be?’
"Fang Yue wins! His rank advances!"
While the crowd was still bewildered, the examiner came to his senses and hastily made the announcement.
After that, the competition continued.
Someone from the Government Office went to check on Huang Ziyu, only to find he had been knocked unconscious. His injuries weren’t actually severe—just a couple of broken ribs.
However, perhaps because they had witnessed Huang Ziyu’s miserable state...
Or perhaps because there weren’t many challengers left to begin with, by the time the competition was completely over, only one more person had challenged Fang Yue.
Fang Yue won easily again. After that, no one else challenged him; they all went after Chubby instead.
But fortunately, Chubby’s strength was considerable, and he managed to hold on.
"Today’s assessment is over! The results will be posted tomorrow, and the day after, the County Magistrate will host a banquet for all the newly promoted Martial Scholars!"
The examiner announced in a high-pitched, strained voice.
With that, the annual Martial Examination for Martial Scholars in Xiahe County officially concluded.
The next day, the ranking list for the Martial Examination was posted, even before the civil examinations were finished.
Fang Yue was ranked a stunning sixth.
"Fang Yue is sixth?! How could he pass? How *dare* he pass!..."
In the square before the County Government Office.
A crowd was surging. Liu Chuanzhi, who had recovered somewhat, arrived, accompanied by his Scholar’s Attendant.
He knew the results for the Martial Scholars were being posted today, so he had to come and see whether Fang Yue had actually passed.
After all, he had been assigned a "stink cell" this time.
It had prevented him from performing at his best, and in the end, he even had a hysterical fit.
’No, it wasn’t a hysterical fit. It must have been Fang Yue’s influence. That kid must have stolen my luck.’
’Otherwise, how could a poor country boy possibly become a Martial Scholar, and then go on to pass the higher examination to become a Martial Scholar, too?’
’It’s not logical! It’s not right! Something must be wrong!’
Seeing Fang Yue on the list, how could Liu Chuanzhi possibly accept it?
He was already devastated from being thrown out of the examination.
Now, seeing Fang Yue pass with high marks, it was even more unbearable.
"Young Master, look! Isn’t that Young Master Fang? He actually became a Martial Scholar! That’s a first for our village."
And of all times, his Scholar’s Attendant’s voice piped up.
*PFFT—*
Liu Chuanzhi could no longer bear it. He spat out a mouthful of old blood and collapsed backward.
~~~~~~
「Three days after the results were posted.」
The examinations for the Civil Scholars had also ended. These Civil Scholars were all covered in the stench of sweat or soured smells, having been in that environment for so long.
How could they not reek a little?
Of course, it was almost winter, so the temperature wasn’t high.
If the exams had been held in the summer, the smell would have been even stronger.
Only a few of the scholars wore looks of joy; most were dejected. After all, out of the four or five hundred scholars who took the examination,
only about thirty were accepted. The acceptance rate was far lower than that of the Martial Examination.
Furthermore, even after passing, their status was lower than that of the Martial Scholars.
When Civil Scholars became officials, they could only serve in deputy positions. The primary posts were all held by Martial Scholars.
Even without becoming an official, the difference in privileges like tax-exempt land was like night and day.
A Civil Scholar received tax exemption on only 165 acres of land, while a Martial Scholar received nearly 500.
「Meanwhile, in a restaurant.」
"Hehe, Fang, come, let’s eat and have some tea. It’s really all thanks to you this time. I actually passed the examination and became a Martial Scholar."
"This time when I go back, let’s see who dares to laugh at me now."
Bai Xingqiu poured tea for Fang Yue, treating him with great enthusiasm.
Chubby was just that kind of person—warm, straightforward, and loved making friends.
Of course, he only befriended people he clicked with. As for those he looked down on, he wouldn’t give them the time of day.
"Bai, didn’t you leave right after the examination was over?" The chubby man was being overly enthusiastic today. Fang Yue had a feeling he had something to say.
"Alright, I knew I couldn’t hide it from you."
Chubby first looked left and right. Seeing that no one was paying them any attention, he lowered his voice and said, "It’s because I want to connect with Zhang Boyang. If I remember correctly, he’s your martial uncle."
"My family has some connections in the Prefecture City. The White Tiger Tea House’s new tea is excellent, so I was hoping you, Fang, could help pull some strings and build a bridge for me."
’So that’s what this is about.’
Chubby had his eye on the roasted tea business. Building a bridge for him was no problem; after all, Chubby was a stand-up guy.
He considered him a friend, and he was straightforward and didn’t ask for anything in return.
"No problem. I’ll put in a good word for you, but I can’t guarantee it’ll work out."
Fang Yue agreed right away to help with the introduction.
"Haha, I knew it! This trip wasn’t a waste. Fang, my friend, making friends with you was the right choice. Come, come, eat! Tomorrow, whether it works out or not, I’m treating you to Yihong House!"
Just then, in the main hall of the restaurant,
a dozen or so Civil Scholars, who had just finished their exams and already smelled sour, walked in.
They saw Fang Yue and the other man gorging themselves.
Some of them recognized the pair.
After all, Chubby shouted at the top of his lungs every morning.
These dozen or so students had suffered greatly because of it.
’Yes, that’s it.’
’The reason we flunked the exam this time must be because this fatty was so noisy we couldn’t rest properly!’
"Gluttons. A pair of absolute gluttons. A disgrace to the learned."
one of the Scholars said indignantly.
The other Scholars, thinking of their failure in the examination hall, naturally joined in the cursing.
"Hmph! Which one of you curs dares to talk about your Grandpa Bai? Stand up! Falsely insulting a Martial Scholar is punishable by thirty lashes according to the law. Whose skin is itching for a whipping? You wanna try it?"
Provoked like this, Chubby immediately stood up. He wasn’t about to give any face to these barking dogs.
Not to mention the aura unique to a Martial Artist that erupted from him. The few Civil Scholars, who had likely never even killed a chicken, were immediately scared to their knees.